1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to cleaning devices for painting accessories, and more specifically relates to an improved cleaning device for roller covers, as well as paint brushes, pans, edgers, etc.
2. Prior Art
Roller covers placed upon roller frames for application of coatings such as paint and stain to surfaces such as walls, doors and trim have been used for many years. Roller covers comprise a sleeve surrounded by a fibrous portion, generally called a nap, for absorbing paint or stain that is rolled onto the surface of the wall, door or trim. Upon completion of an application of paint or stain to a surface, the roller cover must be cleaned of excess paint or stain to prevent the paint or stain from drying within the fibrous nap and rendering the roller cover unusable for future use.
In the past, a common way of cleaning a roller cover was to remove a first amount of excess paint or stain by scraping the nap with a rigid instrument such as a putty knife, screw driver, or a tool having an edge with a curve matching the circumferential curvature of the roller cover. After the first amount of excess paint or stain had been removed, the roller cover was then generally wrung out by hand while being exposed to a diluent such as water, paint thinner or kerosene.
An early example of a device for cleaning a roller cover is a device that is generally referred to as a slinger. A slinger generally has a pair of spring arms for frictionally receiving a roller cover, which arms are connected to a manually actuated spinning mechanism that rotates the spring arms and roller cover, effectively “slinging” the paint or stain from the roller. This type of device is very messy in that the fluid held by the nap of the roller cover is discarded radially during operation of the device.
Other devices have been devised to clean roller covers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,230 issued to Lacher discloses a paint roller cover. The hollow center of the cover is closed by appropriate plugs and a cleaning fluid is forced into one end of the casing to flow axially through only the absorbent material and out the other end of the casing. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,478 issued to Cooney discloses an open-ended cylindrical casing sized and shaped to receive a paint roller cover with a plug inserted into one end. The cylindrical casing has a closure cap with a connection for supplying pressurized liquid through the casing and a second aperture closure cap for discharging the liquid. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,429 issued to Zarich discloses a paint roller cleaner having a generally tubular housing with one open end and a tapered end to join to a faucet coupling adapted to be releasably secured to a water source.
As will be described in greater detail below, the device of the present invention is well suited for cleaning roller covers as well as other painting accessories, simultaneously with, or independently of a roller cover.